Georgia permit test: following distance & space
Following-distance rules, stopping distance and keeping a space cushion. 4 questions.
The car ahead passes a telephone pole and you start counting as the Georgia manual describes. You reach the pole just as you finish saying 'one-thousand-one.' What does that tell you?
Keyboard: press 1–4 or A–D to answer, Enter for the next question, S to save, R to read aloud, P to pause reading, L to listen and answer.
Sample following distance & space questions

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The car ahead passes a telephone pole and you start counting as the Georgia manual describes. You reach the pole just as you finish saying 'one-thousand-one.' What does that tell you?
- A You are at a safe following distance
- B You are safe in daylight but too close at night
- C You are too far back and should close the gap
- D You are following too closely
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D. You are following too closely
Pick a fixed point; when the car ahead passes it, count 'one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two.' If you pass the point before finishing, you are too close. Leave even more room at night, in bad weather and in heavy traffic.
How much following distance does the Georgia manual recommend behind a motorcycle?
- A One second
- B Two seconds, the same as for cars
- C Three or four seconds
- D Ten seconds
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C. Three or four seconds
Allow three or four seconds when following a motorcycle so the rider has room to maneuver or stop in an emergency. Motorcycles can stop more quickly than cars on dry pavement.
Compared with a car, how much distance does a fully loaded tractor-trailer need to stop from 55 mph?
- A About 3 times as much
- B About the same distance
- C About half as much
- D About 10 times as much
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A. About 3 times as much
A fully loaded tractor-trailer at 55 mph needs about 3 times the distance a car needs to stop. Never cut in front of a truck and slow down.
The Georgia TACT program for driving near commercial vehicles recommends how much space in car lengths?
- A One car length for every 10 mph
- B One car length for every 20 mph
- C Two car lengths at any speed
- D Three car lengths for every 10 mph
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A. One car length for every 10 mph
Georgia's TACT (Targeting Aggressive Cars and Trucks) guidance recommends one car length for every 10 mph of speed around commercial vehicles. Don't tailgate trucks; they cannot see you and you cannot see ahead of them.